As is known, the doors of motor vehicles generally comprise an upper portion in the form of a frame, which defines a window which is closed by movable glass, when the glass is raised, and a lower, box-type portion, which is formed by an outer panel and an inner panel, which are connected at one end by a head edge, and define between one another a cavity, in which there are commonly accommodated the glass, when it is lowered, and various components which are secured to the panels themselves, including for example a lock and a glass-raising device. Frequently, the cavity of the door is subdivided by an intermediate baffle, which is impermeable to water, into a dry innermost region, which is delimited by the inner panel, and into a humid outermost region, i.e. a region which is subjected to the presence of water and atmospheric humidity, is delimited by the outer panel, and commonly accommodates the glass when it is lowered.
Conventional locks are generally fitted inside the humid region of the door cavity, in a position which is suitable for interaction with a striker, which is integral with a fixed upright of the door itself.
In particular, conventional locks substantially comprise a closure mechanism which can be releasably connected to the striker in order to give rise to closure of the door, and an actuating assembly, which can command release of the closure mechanism from the striker, and can be connected to the manual control elements which are associated with the door of the motor vehicle, such as the inner and outer handles, and the key locking mechanism.
More specifically, the actuating assembly generally comprises an inner control lever, which is connected to the inner handle of the door, an outer control lever, which is connected to the outer handle of the door, and a kinematic security mechanism, which can be actuated by means of a key from the exterior of the motor vehicle, and by means of a knob and/or the inner handle, and can assume a configuration in which the security mechanism is applied, wherein the outer control lever is rendered inoperative, and thus opening of the door by means of the outer handle is inhibited, and a configuration in which the security mechanism is released, wherein opening of the door by means of the outer handle is enabled.
In vehicles which are provided with central locking of the doors, the actuating assembly additionally comprises a door-lock actuator and any electrical components for signalling and control, such as micro-switches.
Locks of the type described are known, in which the closure mechanism and the actuating assembly are integrated and are assembled sequentially on a single support body.
This solution, which can be defined as integrated, has some disadvantages from the production and functional point of view. Firstly, although the production cycles are inflexible, various versions of the locks must be produced (for front or rear doors, locks with mechanical or electrical action), as well as versions for different applications: integrated and sequential assembly does not make it possible to transfer easily from one version of the lock to another, or to vary the design easily, according to the market requirements. In addition, components of the lock can function, and therefore be inspected, only when the assembly is completed; if the inspection reveals an abnormality it is therefore not easy to determine the causes of this immediately.
In order to eliminate these disadvantages, modular locks have become commonplace, in which the support body consists of two or more shells, which each support and accommodate a certain number of components of the lock, and are fitted in a modular manner. More particularly, modular locks are known which substantially comprise a shell for support and accommodation of the closure mechanism, and a shell for support and accommodation of the actuating assembly; these shells are connected to one another, for example by means of fast coupling devices, in order to constitute together an integrated unit. The modular structure of these locks makes it possible both to produce and inspect independently the closure mechanism and the actuating assembly, and to obtain economies of scale, by producing a single closure module, to which there are connected different versions of control modules, which make it possible to “personalise” the lock for various applications, i.e. with fully mechanical action, with door locks, and/or with signalling functions.
Whether they are provided with a single support body or are of the modular type, in order to be able to co-operate with the striker, the locks described must be disposed in a pre-determined position inside the cavity of the lower portion of the door. This causes problems firstly of dimensions and shape of the lock and of the component modules, since the size of the lock itself must be suitable for the space available. In addition, as previously stated, in order to be able to interact with the striker, the lock is normally positioned inside the humid region of the door cavity. This makes it necessary to take an entire series of precautions in order to ensure that contact with water by the lock does not adversely affect the functioning of the lock, for example it makes it necessary to use impermeable electrical components, which are decidedly more costly than similar components for which impermeability to water is not required.
Finally, in the case of doors which are connected to the upright by means of a hinge, the normal positioning of the lock on the side of the door opposite that on which the hinge is located, means that the electrical, electronic and mechanical components of the lock have to be strong enough to withstand the inertia stresses derived from closing the door, which stresses are obviously all the greater, the greater the distance of the components from the hinge itself.
EP-A-0987390 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,500 disclose a utility module to simultaneously control a couple of locks of a motor vehicle door by remote connection elements, such as Bowden cables.
GB-A-2271374, WO-A-9900572 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,249 disclose anti-theft vehicle door locks having remote connection means, such as Bowden cables, for connecting remote lock modules.